Dominick Cruz pulled from UFC 219 due to injury

One of the most anticipated bouts of the years end has unfortunately been heavily stalled.

Former WEC and UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has pulled out of his bout with Jimmie Rivera at UFC 219.

The news was announced Wednesday evening by MMA Fight Night Live and confirmed by MMAFighting.com that Cruz had pulled out of the bout with a broken arm. No replacement has yet to be confirmed nor has the UFC even announced if an opponent is being sought out.

After a spectacular Bantamweight title fight between now former champion Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw, many assumed that the next challenger for the title would be the winner of the Cruz-Rivera bout. With Cruz now possibly set to miss an extended period of time, Rivera may likely find himself awarded contender-ship status if a replacement is not found.

UFC 219 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. No fight has been announced as the main event as of press time.